Wilmot Mountain is a

ski area A ski area is the terrain and supporting infrastructure where skiing and other snow sports take place. Such sports include alpine and cross-country skiing, snow boarding, tubing, sledding, etc. Ski areas may stand alone or be part of a ski resort. ...

in Kenosha County,

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. It is located in the community of

Wilmot Wilmot may refer to: Places Australia *Division of Wilmot, an abolished Australian Electoral Division in Tasmania * Wilmot, Tasmania, a locality in the North-West Region Canada *Wilmot, Nova Scotia, an unincorporated rural community and former t ...

and lies in both the Town of Randall and the village of Salem Lakes, just north of the

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

border. Located in the southern region of Wisconsin's

Kettle Moraine Kettle Moraine is a large moraine in the state of Wisconsin, United States. It stretches from Walworth County in the south to Kewaunee County in the north. It has also been referred to as the ''Kettle Range'' and, in geological texts, as the ' ...

, Wilmot Mountain is the result of

glaciation A glacial period (alternatively glacial or glaciation) is an interval of time (thousands of years) within an ice age that is marked by colder temperatures and glacier advances. Interglacials, on the other hand, are periods of warmer climate be ...

. The self-proclaimed "

Matterhorn The (, ; it, Cervino, ; french: Cervin, ; rm, Matterhorn) is a mountain of the Alps, straddling the main watershed and border between Switzerland and Italy. It is a large, near-symmetric pyramidal peak in the extended Monte Rosa area of the ...

of the Midwest" was founded by Walter Stopa in 1938 after a thorough research of the area's topography. It has a vertical drop of about . It is also one of the few hills where the mountain is wide open, with few trees or barriers to crossing the hill. A skier can transverse several runs while skiing downhill. Night skiing is available on the entire hill. Wilmot Mountain is located 40 miles south-southwest of

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...

and north of

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. The Stopa Family were the owners and operators from February 1938 to January 2016. Vail Resorts purchased the resort in early 2016 and completed about $13 million in renovations in the same year.

Winter Sports - Skiing, Snowboarding, and Snow Tubing

Recreational

Wilmot Mountain caters to skiers, snowboarders, and snow tubers. A new snow tubing facility opened in 2012 with twenty tubing lanes over in length and a covered conveyor lift. A new lodge houses the ticket sales, food and beverage options, rental items, conference rooms, and banquet facilities. Wilmot Mountain's Snow Tubing Area was built at a separate area so it does not draw guests away from the existing skiing and snowboarding runs. The longest ski & snowboard run, "State Line," parallels the Illinois / Wisconsin border—a small section near the top is in Illinois. The

terrain park A terrain park or snow park is an outdoor recreation area containing terrain that allows skiers, snowboarders and snowbikers to perform tricks. Terrain parks have their roots in skateparks and many of the features are common to both. From thei ...

at Wilmot Mountain has a full combination of beginner to advanced boxes, rails and jibbing features. Wilmot Mountain has a full service ski and snowboard school with over 300 certified instructors and a comprehensive children's program. It also has an award-winnin
National Ski Patrol
group.

Alpine racing

Wilmot has an active race program and is the destination of many race clubs and groups. Weekly race training is run in the evenings by thei
on-site race program
The Chicago Metropolitan Ski Council
CMSC
holds Slalom or Giant Slalom races eight days each season using two newly contoured runs designed with racing in mind. NASTAR races were held weekly until 2004. In 2017, NASTAR racing returned to Wilmot Mountain.

Snowmaking

Wilmot started making their own snow in 1952 using Joe Tropiano snow machines, basically a lawn watering device with heaters to prevent freezing. Today they use a combination of older and new, high-tech snow making equipment. Wilmot makes snow whenever the temperature drops low enough, even during hours of operation.

History

* In 1938, Walter Stopa bought property from a local farmer and founded Wilmot Hills. He started off with a rope tow, which was powered by the drive mechanism from a Model A Ford. * In 1968, Walter added the first Wilmot chairlift. Walter died on June 10, 1986, and his daughter Diane Reese and son-in-law Michal Reese took over as owner and general manager. * In 1989, Diane, and Michal added the Iron Kettle dining facility. * In 2001, Dennis Sheen, Diane's son in-law, took charge as general manager. * In 2011, Snow Tubing was added to Wilmot Mountain lineup. * In January 2016, Diane Reese sold Wilmot Mountain to

Vail Resorts Vail Resorts, Inc. is an American mountain resort company headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado. The company is divided into three divisions. The mountain segment owns and operates 40 mountain resorts in four countries, Vail Resorts Hospitality o ...

. * In March 2016, Taylor Ogilive became the general manager for Wilmot Mountain. * In summer of 2016,

invested more than $13 million in renovations.

Auto racing

The roads surrounding the parking lot and resort have a very unusual shape, including a hairpin curve. The design resembles a race track oval, and with good reason - there used to be
race course
on the grounds. From 1954 to 1967, the ski resort was home t
Wilmot Hills Race Course
In the summer months the ski lodge served food and drinks to race fans
Aerial photos
of the area clearly show the race track, although part of the course is now covered by building additions.

Facilities

The resort has several cafeterias, 2 pubs, pizza restaurant, ski shop, rentals and lockers. Nearby

and

Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου, ''Antiókheia hē epì Oróntou'', Learned ; also Syrian Antioch) grc-koi, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου; or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπ� ...

also offer a selection of restaurants and accommodations.

Notable facts

*In January 2016, Wilmot Mountain was sold to

for $14 million. *Wilmot's Ski School was founded in 1939 by Helmut Teichner *Gander Mountain was founded in Wilmot *Exhibition Run was re-contoured in the mid-1980s and a large boulder removed *75% of Wilmot's income is from the Tubing Facility *Lights installed for night skiing in 1955 (It was such a novelty that The Tonight Show featured it) *Multiple Junior Olympic Medal winners have skied for the Wilmot Mountain Junior Race Team *Previous assets, tables, chairs, lights, and lamps were distributed equally to the Sheen/Stopa/Reese Family. *Walt Stopa Retires in 1960, With Diane Reese takes the CEO and Manager Position. Michal Reese takes the General Manager Position in 1974. Michal Reese is fired and in 2001 Dennis Sheen takes the Manager Position. In 2015, After 55 Years, Diane Reese steps down from CEO, and Robert A. Katz takes CEO position (via Vail Resorts sale). In 2017, General Manager, Dennis Sheen is replaced by Taylor Ogilive. *No Renovations were made to the Tubing Facility, other than the sign change. As it was built in 2011, and no renovations are needed.

Location

Wilmot Mountain is located at coordinates , just 1/2 mile south of

Wilmot, Wisconsin Wilmot (also Gilead) is a residential and business community in the village of Salem Lakes in southwestern Kenosha County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2010 census, prior to the incorporation into Salem Lakes, Wilmot was a census-designat ...

. File:Wilmot-mountain-high-winds.jpg, 25 mph plus winds hit the hill in Feb. 07 File:Stopa-plaque-wilmot-mountain.jpg, Dedication Plaque to the hill founders File:Wilmot-Mountain-Ski-Racer-Start.jpg, Starting a race run

References

External links

* {{official website, http://www.wilmotmountain.com
Area Snow Conditions

Area History

DH Ski racing site, thousands of photos, mostly of Wilmot racing

Virtual tour of the mountain

Comprehensive history of Wilmot Mountain

Wilmot Hills Auto Race history

* ttp://www.midrealm.org/midrealm_origins.html Some history on the SciFi cons at Wilmot
Wilmot Mountain Race Program Website

Wilmot Mountain Ski Patrol Website

Wilmot Mountain Terrain Park on Myspace
Buildings and structures in Kenosha County, Wisconsin Geography of Kenosha County, Wisconsin Ski areas and resorts in Wisconsin